I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handbag assembly according to which a variety of outer decorative coverings can be selectively attached to the main article carrying bag to suit the desired decor.
II. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been a tradition for women to carry handbags or purses containing various personal items which they wish to keep close to their person. Indeed, most women consider a handbag or purse as a necessity to support their daily activities. A handbag is used to contain a variety of items such as credit cards, photographs, credentials, glasses, checkbook, wallet, change purse, keys, tissues, stamps, note paper, personal address and phone directories, and the like.
Numerous styles and designs of handbags are available to satisfy the individual aesthetic preference of the user and to compliment particular garments or occasions. It is customary for a woman to own several different handbags, each being decoratively compatible with a different outfit, suit, dress, coat, shoes, belt or other items of clothing or accessories. In changing from one outfit to another as, for example, changing from a day time to an evening outfit, the woman generally selects a particular decorative purse for the particular outfit selected. It thus follows that the items carried in a particular purse must be changed from one to another which is more decoratively complimentary with the outfit to be changed into, whether it be for morning, afternoon, or evening wear. This change in outfit and the selection of an appropriate handbag usually involves the removal of its contents and the relocation of the contents into the handbag selected for the change in outfit. This transfer operation is necessarily troublesome, time consuming, and frequently results in misplacement or loss of articles.
There have been numerous attempts through the years to improve the ease of transferring articles from one handbag to another in a more efficient manner without dropping or losing articles. Many such improvements have been patented, witness, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,999,669 to Smith; 2,464,312 to Holden; 2,671,487 to Vander Hoek; and 3,451,454 to Davis. Each of these patents discloses an insert which is disposed to occupy substantially the entire internal cavity of the handbag. In some instances, as in Smith, Holden and Vander Hoek, the insert is provided with a plurality of individualized compartments to separate the various articles and thereby improve the ease with which they might be retrieved.
In the instance of U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,033 to Tucker, a smaller purse is releasably attached to an inner wall of a much larger handbag. The purse is provided with carrying pockets and other structure for holding smaller items. U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,459 to Ody discloses a handbag with a plurality of inner compartments for sorting out and holding a plurality of articles. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,951 to Siegel discloses a handbag construction with a removable organizer to which a plurality of smaller articles can be releasably attached. Even as each individual article can be withdrawn from the organizer, the organizer itself can be removed as a unit from the handbag.